Texas Now Magazine Presenting the "Texas Coast Experience" | Page 28

Things were bustling in Texas after the Mexican War
and in 1838 George was appointed customs director
of the Aransas District. Two years later he and
Harriet got married.
Right about the time the Fultons celebrated their 6th
anniversary they left Texas for Baltimore where
two of his brothers lived. George decided to work
on his own and begin developing water pumps
for mining concerns. And that had him traveling
to what is now known as West Virginia and
Pennsylvania. In spite of all his hard work and
traveling, George still was able to find the time
as an occasional contributor to his brother’s
newspaper, the Baltimore American.
Then in 1851 Harriet’s father, Henry Smith
died. In his estate was a large amount of
land in the Aransas Bay area.
A lawsuit which had
clouded the title
of Henry Smith’s

land was settled in 1857, and upon the death of Harriet’s
mother and brother, the estate was turned over to George to
manage. In 1867 George turned his sights to Texas. Harriet’s
inheritance had given her huge land holdings in Live Oak
Point and San Patricio. He added 1280 acres of his own to
his wife’s and they made 10,000 acres available to the Fulton
Town Company, with 2,000 acres being laid out for the town
and another 8,000 acres would become part of the ColemanFulton Pasture Company, which he was instrumental in
organizing. Pretty smart!
The company would ship cattle to New Orleans by
boat. George, who was always on top of his game,
even received a United States patent for shipping beef
under artificial cooling, and yet another patent for the
modification of a steam-engine! Like I said before –
George was one smart cookie!
In 1874 George began building a dream home for Harriet,
which most folks recognize as the Fulton Mansion. It took
three years before the house was completed and it was a
showplace. George and Harriet named it Oakhurst, and

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